Lord Shiva

[Vinayaka]

Depends on the school. The understanding of what or who Siva is has great variation within the umbrella of Hinduism. For some, He is a demigod, for others, He's part of the trimurthi, and for others He's the entire trimurthi and more. There are more views yet, too. This is the beauty of the diversity of Hinduism. No individual can speak for all other Hindus.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Vinayaka

Depends on the school. The understanding of what or who Siva is has great variation within the umbrella of Hinduism. For some, He is a demigod, for others, He's part of the trimurthi, and for others He's the entire trimurthi and more. There are more views yet, too. This is the beauty of the diversity of Hinduism. No individual can speak for all other Hindus.

Then for others of us....

There are beautiful, radiant celestial beings out there - kind, wise and benevolent. They have inspired and helped mankind since creation. There are many terms for these beings - Christians call them 'Angels', New-Agers call them 'Extraterrestrials'. Hindus call them 'Devas' or 'The Shining Ones'. Their language is 'Devanagari' or Sanskrit (but they can also speak Latin).

I learned that they were called 'Dewata' (which is only a localised variation of "Devata" from which "Deva" is the collective form).

These beings are just totally comprised of Light and Love and are very powerful and beautiful.

Then, one of these beings comes along...and His Light and Love eclipses all and all of the Devas bow down in His presence. His effulgence illuminates the whole universe and everything just pales by comparison and fades into oblivion.

He is the 'king' of them all...the 'Great King' of all the shining entities. He is known as "Maharaja" (Great King) - Maharaja Dewata - Great King of the Devas...

Over the subsequent millennia, this became shortened to "Mahadeva". This is how I associate with Siva.

HAR HAR MAHADEV!!!

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste.

Excerpt from my diary 8/07/17

For the past three days straight (7am - 11pm) I have been chanting Lord Shiva's mantras without break and not taking my Rudraksha Malas off.

Today, I went to collect my mother to spend a week with me and she wanted to stop in at a shopping centre on the way back home to get some groceries and of course, I was still chanting mantras all the way there and back.

We stopped in at a large shopping mall and it was totally packed out, being school holidays and there were various school holiday activities and I was unaware as to what they were...couldn't care less, really.

My attention, however, was drawn to a large crowd of mothers/fathers and their children near the centre court of the mall all squealing with either fear or delight and I couldn't tell which, but my curiosity was thus aroused and so I made my way over to the crowd, not knowing what to expect...I found out it was a reptile show.

While I was standing at the back of the crowd trying to make out what was happening at the front, I was approached from behind by a man in a Park Ranger's uniform. He looked at me, smiled and said 'excuse me, ma'am are you afraid of snakes?' and of course that's a silly question to ask me, so I replied "not at all" and with that, he produced a 3 meter long diamond python and draped the snake around my neck, coiling it around a few times.

As soon as I felt the cold scales of the snake move against the bare skin of my neck, you could probably guess what happened next...bliss-switch ACTIVATE! I was GONE! because I immediately got the whole sign/significance without even a second thought, laughing and crying simultaneously...the Ranger goes "are you okay?" and I'm like "I'm MORE than okay! This is a very deep spiritual experience for me, please excuse me."

He left the snake around my neck for a few minutes, with it enjoying coiling it's head and entwining around my Rudraksha Malas before he removed it...then I was grinning from ear to ear...jumping around, dancing...going "Jai Nageshwara!! Jai Shiva Shambho!!" Yeah, I realised Shiva had just blessed me totally, obviously and unashamedly.

My mum came up to me a few moments later (she had to go to the ladies room) and I was still grinning and spinning...she goes "what's up with you?" and all I could do was say "snaaaaake...snaaaake...I had a snaaaake around my neck..." She's like "geez, act your age!" and I went "you know all those mantras I was chanting all the way here in the car?" She goes "how could I NOT, that's all you were doing for hours on end". I said "well, those mantras belong to a Hindu God called Shiva...when we arrive home, please allow me to show you a picture of Him".

As soon as we arrived home, I immediately showed her an image of the 'Lord of Snakes' Himself, and she was like "Good Lord...He just blessed you!" and I just beamed again and went "yup, 'tis why I love Him".

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Bindu*]

Extrordinary experience
Thanks for sharing. Shiva is omniprescent, omsniscient and omnipotent.
As present everywhere, in you, your mum, the snakesharmer, the snake.
Prescent in all directions. How wonderful to be given a direct experience of that. Keep up the Bhakti...it is the way !

In gita ch 18 verse 55 Krishna as Universal Consiousness/ Ishwara says:

" By devotion he knows me in truth, what and why I am; then having known
me in truth, he forthwith enters in the supreme"

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Bindu*

Extrordinary experience
Thanks for sharing. Shiva is omniprescent, omsniscient and omnipotent.
As present everywhere, in you, your mum, the snakesharmer, the snake.
Prescent in all directions. How wonderful to be given a direct experience of that. Keep up the Bhakti...it is the way !

In gita ch 18 verse 55 Krishna as Universal Consiousness/ Ishwara says:

" By devotion he knows me in truth, what and why I am; then having known
me in truth, he forthwith enters in the supreme"

Namaste and dhanyavaad.

Sometimes the presence of Shiva is obvious and feeling the snake around my neck with my rudraksha malas also left me in full contemplation of Shakti Herself, as it would. It also left me thinking "Oi Shiva...I want to see You and not be You", but such is the lot of a Bhakti Yogi.

Other times, I need to look much harder to see Him because He plays 'hide go seek' a lot.

I was reminded about a similar passage from the Bhagavad Gita yesterday, when I was viciously attacked by an insane woman, high on meth amphetamine (after I wanted to do a total number on her and send her straight to the Patala realms):

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: || 18||

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ

The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater. BG 5.18

...AND a feral, mutant humanoid woman who was behaving like a total rakshasi....

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste:

Something incredibly and totally weird is happening to me today and it's not stopping.

First, I learn about the Shivyog foundation through the simple act of looking up a quote about divine permanence which led me to find my Guru and his amazing son! As soon as I saw it, I felt it and I knew it! just as I know the stars shine, just as I know I love Shiva. My incessant bugging of the Lord with a 'please explain' has ultimately led to this day....to this very moment.



Not to be outdone by this, I then went on Youtube to look up more Kailash Kher songs...only to find this...OMG!!! Kailash Kher is singing a song called Adi Yogi in front of Sadhguru and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modhi while Sadhguru initiates the Prime Minister! OMG!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVkIkORA0tQ

I just love that beautiful murthi of Lord Shiva in the background there!



Yeah, Shiva is really rubbing his Divine presence into me today, folks!

Shivalove is just flowing out of every pore of my being.

Sadhguru + Kailash Kher? who would have even thunk it?

Meh, I still like Bam Lahari better, but getting into another song called Bhole Chale right now...nope, Bam Lahari it still is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn3fQz9kZzc

Aum Namah Shivaya

[awareness]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

I have a close relationship to krishna, he is always with me, so I know what you mean. I also feel that krishna shiva, meera, baba, brahma, all are the same thing, i know this really, the same thing wearing different clothes. But like you , I warm to one aspect, and what a personal and special relationship that is.

Very beautifully and truthfully said, peteyzen, brother.

Peace, all.

[Bindu*]

Originally Posted by The Necromancer

Namaste.

Excerpt from my diary 8/07/17

For the past three days straight (7am - 11pm) I have been chanting Lord Shiva's mantras without break and not taking my Rudraksha Malas off.

Today, I went to collect my mother to spend a week with me and she wanted to stop in at a shopping centre on the way back home to get some groceries and of course, I was still chanting mantras all the way there and back.

We stopped in at a large shopping mall and it was totally packed out, being school holidays and there were various school holiday activities and I was unaware as to what they were...couldn't care less, really.

My attention, however, was drawn to a large crowd of mothers/fathers and their children near the centre court of the mall all squealing with either fear or delight and I couldn't tell which, but my curiosity was thus aroused and so I made my way over to the crowd, not knowing what to expect...I found out it was a reptile show.

While I was standing at the back of the crowd trying to make out what was happening at the front, I was approached from behind by a man in a Park Ranger's uniform. He looked at me, smiled and said 'excuse me, ma'am are you afraid of snakes?' and of course that's a silly question to ask me, so I replied "not at all" and with that, he produced a 3 meter long diamond python and draped the snake around my neck, coiling it around a few times.

As soon as I felt the cold scales of the snake move against the bare skin of my neck, you could probably guess what happened next...bliss-switch ACTIVATE! I was GONE! because I immediately got the whole sign/significance without even a second thought, laughing and crying simultaneously...the Ranger goes "are you okay?" and I'm like "I'm MORE than okay! This is a very deep spiritual experience for me, please excuse me."

He left the snake around my neck for a few minutes, with it enjoying coiling it's head and entwining around my Rudraksha Malas before he removed it...then I was grinning from ear to ear...jumping around, dancing...going "Jai Nageshwara!! Jai Shiva Shambho!!" Yeah, I realised Shiva had just blessed me totally, obviously and unashamedly.

My mum came up to me a few moments later (she had to go to the ladies room) and I was still grinning and spinning...she goes "what's up with you?" and all I could do was say "snaaaaake...snaaaake...I had a snaaaake around my neck..." She's like "geez, act your age!" and I went "you know all those mantras I was chanting all the way here in the car?" She goes "how could I NOT, that's all you were doing for hours on end". I said "well, those mantras belong to a Hindu God called Shiva...when we arrive home, please allow me to show you a picture of Him".

As soon as we arrived home, I immediately showed her an image of the 'Lord of Snakes' Himself, and she was like "Good Lord...He just blessed you!" and I just beamed again and went "yup, 'tis why I love Him".

Aum Namah Shivaya

You probably are aware that this is the month of shravan when it is custom to worship shiva: And the snake symbol is quite relevant:

"As per ancient legends, the churning of sea ( Samudra Manthan ) was done during this month of Shravan. It was a combined effort done by both, the Devatas ( Gods ) & the Danvas ( Demons ). The Sumeru Parvat was used for churning and the Snake Vasuki which circles around the neck of Lord Shiva was used as a rope. Large number of invaluable Gems came out of sea as a result of this churning. However, at the end, poison ( Halahal ) came out which had the capacity to destroy everything. None of the Gods or Demons were able to deal with this poison and ultimately, Lord Shiva came to the rescue. Lord Shiva drank the entire poison and stored it in his throat which turned blue due to poison. Hence, Lord Shiva got the name Neel Kanth ( Blue Throat ). This way, Lord Shiva gave a new life to everyone during this month and therefore, this month is supposed to be very auspicious.

[Bindu*]

Since we have been discussing Vedic schoolar David Frawley in some threads.

Are you aware of his book about Shiva ?

Here is he giving an ex to Modi.

It's a great book !

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Bindu*

Since we have been discussing Vedic schoolar David Frawley in some threads.

Are you aware of his book about Shiva ?

Here is he giving an ex to Modi.

It's a great book !

Namaste.

Thank you so much for enriching my reading list for the past two days.

I have placed the book in my pile of 'must read' after I revisit Alain Danielou's books. I have already read 'While The Gods Play' (30 years ago) so it needs a re-read, but I haven't read any other ones. Very interested in 'Shiva and the Primordial Tradition: From the Tantras to the Science of Dreams'.

At the moment, I have a few books on my 'reading plate'. I'm re-reading Woodroffe's Tantra Shastra again and something which interested me yesterday, the Cakrasaṃvara Tantra.

What I do not get, is how everybody and I mean everybody gives Shiva description, like 'master of Yoga' and He has 'snakes around neck' and he has a 'blue throat' and a 'moon in his hair' etc and then goes on to describe Him as the formless, non-dual Brahman.

I also worship Shiva in both aspects, which is full-on duality, but whenever I mention that I worship Shiva in aspect of being this or that...I am always met with "Shiva is Brahman" or "Shiva lives in your heart" or simply "Shivoham" and I'm like yeah, I know that, but I still worship Shiva as being who/what Shiva is, according to the Puranas...and they tell me that it's all an illusion and that's not Shiva...in the end, I get pretty cross with them and tell them to leave me alone and let me do my own thing.

After that, they start quoting Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam) by Adi Shankaracharya and I respond with Kalabhairavashtakam by Adi Shankarachraya...How can one BE Shiva and worship Shiva simultaneously? if you're not just worshiping Self and if you are worshiping Self, then who is Shiva?

Anyway, glad I finally got that one off my chest.

Here is a very nice article by David Frawley:
https://vedanet.com/2012/06/13/shiva...-lord-of-yoga/

I particularly liked this part:

Looking back in time and history, we could say that Shiva is the deity of the shaman also, and as such perhaps the oldest formulation of the sacred in humanity He is the lord of the dance, of ecstasy, of the drum, of dream and trance which the Shaman seeks. To Shiva belongs the sacred fire and the sacred plant, the Agni and Soma of Vedic lore. In fact the Vedas are nothing but the mantric expression of Shiva, with the four main Vedic deities of Agni, Soma, Surya, and Indra or Fire, Sun, Moon and Lightning as the four aspects of his light.

Thank you so much, Bindu. Your name reminds me of the internal work I still have to do to stop my manipura chakra burning up the nectar drops..

I didn't know this was the auspicious month of Shravan, but yeah, pretty familiar with the whole milk-ocean churning story. Thank you for enlightening me there as well.

Aum Namah Shivaya